The PBS Blog

Truth is Stranger than Fiction

September 9, 2025

An Artist’s Duty

I was sitting here thinking about how I got to this place of advocating for the restoration of Black history. If it were solely up to me, I would have chosen a less taxing, less unrewarding cause to advocate for. However, in the words of Nina Simone, “I have no choice in the matter. An… Continue reading

creative writing, General Topics

#TuesdayShares, art, artist, artist duty, blog, blogger, blogging, community, creativity, goal, life, mission, purpose, wordpress, writing
August 11, 2025

Breaking From Tradition Can Be a Good Thing

Some families keep their history alive around picnic tables, their roots watered each summer by laughter, shared meals, and stories that stretch back generations. Mine did not. On my mother’s side, there were no great migrations back home for a weekend, no sea of matching shirts declaring our kinship, no annual roll call of who… Continue reading

creative writing, General Topics

#MondayBlogs, black family, black family reunions, blog, blogger, blogging, community, family, family reunions, laugh, life, love, memories, new beginnings, rest, reunion, tradition, traditional, traditions, wordpress, writing
July 14, 2025

Community Can Be Healing

I spent the weekend before last wrapped in the embrace of family down in Shreveport and Keithville, Louisiana, and it felt like medicine. We rode horses, walked barefoot through the grass, played with dogs, danced like children to country songs (which was hilarious…them country songs a lil freaky, lol) chased chickens, and kissed the soft… Continue reading

creative writing, General Topics

#MondayBlogs, blog, blogger, blogging, community, healing, life, mental health, rest, wordpress, writing
May 27, 2025

Rest is Revolutionary

“Do revolutionaries rest?” I laughed at Kathy’s question as we boarded the elevator to find something to wrap up my locs before I got in the water. It was a line from Spike Lee’s film Malcolm X (or something to that effect). I was enjoying some much-needed time away at Kathy’s pool party in Florida.… Continue reading

Poetry

blog, blogging, creative writing, faith, grind culture, history, jesus, life, producitive, rest, rest is resistance, rest is revolutionary, sacred, speaking, wordpress, writing
May 19, 2025

Mine

The way my “no” used to get scrapedoff the platelike it didn’t belong there. I used to think saying no was dangerous.That my voicewas optional.That my boundariescould be bentby someone else’s appetite. So I chewed and I swallowedsociety’s thoughts of what I should be.It lingered in the bite I didn’t want to takebut did anyway.… Continue reading

Poetry

#MondayBlogs, #Mondaythoughts, blog, blogging, boundaries, creative writing, history, speaking, voice, voiceless, wordpress, writing
April 30, 2025

Avoiding Bad Publishing Advice

Self-publishing can be overwhelming for various reasons, including the limitless number of people who offer advice. The problem is that counsel is not universally applicable. Even the word “Bad” in the title is subjective. Who determines what is bad? Is there any advice that works for us but not for others? Here is a quick… Continue reading

creative writing, General Topics

authors, blog, blogger, blogging, books, class, course, indie, indie authors, Indie Korner, masterclass, publishing, self-published authors, self-publishing, wordpress, workshop, writing, writing tips
April 21, 2025

My Poetry

Black History does not just live in textbooks,but on the tongues of poets. Every stanza is a stepping stonelaid by those who came before me.It echoes of cotton fields, jazz clubs,freedom songs, and community. This is more than poetry.This is preservation.This is protest.This is legacy.This is poetic justice. These words be the revolution my ancestors… Continue reading

Poetry

African American History, black history, blog, blogging, creative writing, history, I am Black History, my poetry, National Poetry Month, poetic justice, poetry month, wordpress, writing

About Me

My name is Yecheilyah (e-see-li-yah), and my work confronts historical erasure and advocates for a more inclusive understanding of Black history. Through my literature and poetry, I uncover and preserve the rich, often underrepresented stories of African Americans. I also host an annual poetry contest.